Environmental Earth Sciences (2018) 77:58 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-7222-4 THEMATIC ISSUE The Saale-Unstrut cultural landscape corridor M. Hoppert1 · B. Bahn2 · E. Bergmeier3 · M. Deutsch4 · K. Epperlein5 · C. Hallmann1,6 · A. Müller7 · T. V. Platz8,9 · T. Reeh4 · H. Stück8,10 · W. Wedekind8 · S. Siegesmund8 Received: 19 October 2017 / Accepted: 30 December 2017 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract Cultural landscapes are the result of long-term human–environment interaction, but they are nevertheless worldwide vulner- able to processes of global change such as land-use change, urbanization, neglect and abandonment. The cultural landscape mosaic along the rivers Saale and Unstrut (Germany, Central Uplands) provides many features of (pre-)historical human activities, in particular since the Middle Ages. Most of these elements occur in what can be defned as “cultural landscape corridor” along the river valleys, thus conveying a broad insight in historic land-use, including viticulture, and architecture of the past centuries in a nutshell. The area has been nominated for inscription in the List of World Heritage, due to its famous components in Naumburg, Freyburg and Pforta that representatively refect cultural processes of the High Middle Ages. However, population loss and land-use change as well as neglect of lower-ranking monuments may lead to a gradual decline of the historical cultural landscape and its multiple elements. In this contribution, we summarize the landscape development in the Saale-Unstrut area and discuss measures to raise awareness of selected elements of a coherent cultural landscape corridor. Keywords Cultural landscape · Cultural heritage · Historic monument · Monument preservation Introduction habitat fragmentation is regarded as one of the biggest prob- lems in the conservation of endangered animal and plant In our intensively used landscape, human-made structures species (e.g., Tillmann 2005 and references therein). There- such as transport routes lead to progressive fragmentation fore, the reconnection of habitat fragments is considered as of natural habitats. Apart from the degradation of biotopes, an important goal of nature conservation. Wildlife corridors (habitat corridors) link biotopes (e.g., Jaeger et al. 2011), prevent further decline of populations of endangered animal This article is part of a Topical Collection in Environmental and plant species and allow (re-)immigration of species into Earth Sciences on “Stone in the Architectural Heritage: from an area. These corridors are usually linear structures such as quarry to monuments—environment, exploitation, properties and durability”, guest edited by Siegfried Siegesmund, Luís Sousa, and Rubén Alfonso López-Doncel. * M. Hoppert 6 Present Address: Leibnitz Institut für Pfanzenbiochemie, [email protected] Halle, Germany 7 Geologisch‑Paläontologische Sammlung, Institut für 1 Mikrobiologie und Genetik, Universität Göttingen, Geophysik und Geologie, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Göttingen, Germany Germany 2 Landesamt für Denkmalpfege und Archäologie 8 Strukturgeologie und Geodynamik, Göttinger Zentrum Sachsen-Anhalt, Halle, Germany Geowissenschaften, Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, 3 Albrecht‑von‑Haller‑Institut für Pfanzenwissenschaften, Germany Vegetationsanalyse und Phytodiversität, Universität 9 Present Address: Industrieverband Steine und Erden Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany Baden-Württemberg e.V, Ostfldern, Germany 4 Geographisches Institut, Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, 10 Present Address: Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Germany Rohstofe, Hannover, Germany 5 Mitteldeutsches Institut für Weinforschung, Hochschule Anhalt, Köthen, Germany Vol.:(0123456789)1 3 58 Page 2 of 12 Environmental Earth Sciences (2018) 77:58 hedges or wild bridges creating the impression for an animal extending over wide parts of central Asia (Anonymous of not leaving its natural habitat. 2013a; Williams 2014). The Upper Middle Rhine Valley A “cultural landscape corridor” is an integrative concept is another example for a “corridor,” renowned for its high allowing the (human) visitor to get the experience of not leav- number of important monuments in a cultural landscape bor- ing a cultural landscape—with respect both to semi-natural dering a 65 km section of the river Rhine. The area has been habitats and to historic land-use, landmarks, architecture etc. approved as World Heritage site in 2003, though high trafc This cannot be achieved entirely, of course, since historic land- load in the valley is considered as a major drawback in view scapes are the result of a long-term development and contain, of its attractiveness for visitors (Anonymous 2008, 2013b). in varying proportions, multiple items of diferent epochs. The area discussed here, the lower Unstrut and parts of the The area along the river valleys near the confuence of Saale middle Saale valley, is, compared to the examples mentioned and Unstrut in Saxony-Anhalt (Germany) ofers many features above, a small “corridor” (50 km between Wendelstein/ for a “cultural landscape corridor.” This term should be under- Memleben and Naumburg). Waterways and paths along the stood as it is used for the “Erie canalway national heritage cor- rivers guide, along clifs and vineyards through a hilly ter- ridor” extending nearly 600 km between Albany and Bufalo, rain, to many features and important landmarks of a cultural NY (Anonymous 2006). For this project, a comprehensive plan landscape (Figs. 1, 2). Climatic, topographic and soil condi- for a corridor was established, protecting historic landmarks tions promoted intensive settlement activity along the lower and natural habitats, in order to support the conservation of Unstrut and the middle Saale. From prehistory to present, the an extended area along the Erie Canal, in particular as tourist cultural landscape incorporates relicts of the cultural history attraction. One focus was the importance of a waterway for the of all epochs. Most of them are accessible during a short economic development during the past 200 years. round trip, in particular important and identity-generating However, “corridors,” if too extensive, may lose their historic monuments of the High Middle Ages (Schmitt 2014). function as a link between too far apart places of interest. In the present article, starting with a geological and ecore- This issue was discussed for the entire system of silk roads gional outline of the Unstrut and the Unstrut/Saale river mouth as a world heritage site (or some smaller sections of them), area, several aspects of the cultural landscape are addressed, barrow cemetery outcrop Vitzenburg Mücheln dry grassland barrow palace turf maze palace Boendorf historic center quarry Karsdorfer Hänge Nebra outcrops, Wendelstein outcrops Braunsbedra Arche Nebra vineyard outcrops Lagerstäe castle dry grassland Wangen Geiseltal monastery outcrops xerothermic forest Memleben barrow Burgscheidungen menhir palace outcrop Laucha Freyburg historic center Zscheiplitz historic center monastery watermill, weir vineyard Schloss Neuenburg walls castle Goseck circular enclosure castle dry grassland Blütengrund vineyard rock monument Schönburg Naumburg castle outcrop historic center Bad Kösen cathedral outcrop industrialheritage rock monument secular buildg. Schulpforta monastery Bustädt Eckartsberga Saaleck historic center castle outcrop castles Fig. 1 The cultural landscape corridor delineating the courses of the (brown—geosites, yellow—prehistoric sites, orange—architecture, rivers Unstrut (upper left to lower right part of the image) and Saale green—important habitats). The map shows a 45 × 25 km section. (lower right). Important elements of the landscape are marked by dots (Base map according to opentopomap.org.) 1 3 Environmental Earth Sciences (2018) 77:58 Page 3 of 12 58 Fig. 2 Aspects of the relief, geology and viticulture and early indus- outcrop in Schönburg (Saale). e Vineyards at the location Nüssen- trial architecture of the Saale-Unstrut cultural landscape corridor. a berg (near Weischütz; above the vineyards dry grassland on Muschel- Floodplain of the Unstrut near Zscheiplitz. b The old, pre- and inter- kalk). f The Zeddenbach water mill near Freyburg, a monument of the glacial valley of the Unstrut near Zscheiplitz. c Limestone outcrop industrial age around 1900 near Zeddenbach (Lower Muschelkalk). d Middle Buntsandstein thereby exemplifying specifc problems, and attempting to valley cuts through the Muschelkalk ridge “Hainleite” (the raise public awareness and to highlight local preservation “Thuringian Gate”) and passes the medieval castle ruin measures. “Wendelstein,” crowning a gypsum rock of the Kyfhäuser fault zone. In its lower course, the Unstrut valley forms steep slopes, cutting through the Lower Triassic Middle The Unstrut—evolution of a cultural Buntsandstein. Between Wendelstein and Nebra, the Bunt- landscape sandstein strata dip toward north and the soft clays of the Upper Buntsandstein form the northern slopes of the val- The current valley of the lower Unstrut was formed dur- ley that opens southwards to a wide basin. Near Karsdorf, ing the Drenthe stage of the Saale glaciation (300,000— the bedrock consists of Muschelkalk, forming steep slopes 130,000 years BP; cf. Fig. 2a, b). Today, the Unstrut between Laucha and Freyburg. North of Naumburg, the 1 3 58 Page 4 of 12 Environmental Earth Sciences (2018) 77:58 Unstrut fows into the river Saale. The northern slopes sector was still mentioned in a sixteenth century